Adjustable and disappearing foot-rest for morris chairs.



W. SIMPSON. ADJUSTABLE AND DISAPPEARING FOOT nnsr FOB MORRIS cums.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1910.

988,600. Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

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APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16, 1910.

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

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WILLIAM SIMPSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ADJUSTABLE AND DISAPPEARING FOOT-REST FOR MORRIS CHAIRS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

Application filed August 15, 1910. Serial No. 577,221.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SIMPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York city, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable and Disappearing Foot-Rests for Morris Chairs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in reclining chairs, the object of the invention being to provide simple and effective foot rest construction, said foot rest being adjustable to various positions automatically by the mere operation of the chair back, said foot rest also entirely disappearing when the chair back is in the upright position.

In the accompanying drawing-Figure 1 is a side elevation, the chair back being inclined backward and the foot rest being projected; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the chair, the chair back being raised and the foot rest being drawn back out of sight; Fig. 3 is a relatively enlarged detail view.

1 represents a chair body of any suitable construction.

2 represents the chair back, which is pivoted at 3 to the body 1, said pivot being well above the lower end of said back. The back 2 operates as a lever and is pivotally connected on each side of the chair with one of a series of levers which operate and automatically control the foot rest. A description of the lever arrangement on one side of the chair will be sufficient to make my invention clear. The lower end of the lever 2 is pivotally connected to a link 4. The forward end of the link 4 is pivotally connected to the middle part of a toggle link 5, the latter being pivotally connected at 6 to a point near the foot of one of the forward chair legs. The upper end of the link 5 is pivotally connected to the end of a bell crank lever 7. The bell crank lever is pivotally connected at its angle to a link 8. The forward arm of the bell crank carries a foot rest 9. The link 8 is provided, as shown in Fig. 3, with an offset bend to afford clearance for the two thicknesses of material constituting the levers 5-7 when the parts are folded up.

10 is-a suitable adjustable stop of any desired construction which operates to limit the backward swing of the chair back 2.

11 is a spring anchored at one end to the chair frame 1 and connected at its other end to part of the linkage for example, the link 4:, whereby the chair back 2 will normally be caused to assume the position indicated in Fig. 2, viz., the upright position. When the occupant of a chair lies back (the stop 10, for example, in the position shown in Fig. 1) the chair back 2 swings baekwardly. This movement pushes the link 4 and lever 5 forwardly. This movement causes the bell crank 7 and the lever S to swing out. The bell crank gradually turning on its ivotal connection with the link 8 so as to eilectually bring the foot rest up into the position shown in Fig. 1. The straightening out of the chair back 2 and the lever 4 offers such resistance to the throwing back of the lever 5 that under such conditions when said parts are practically in a straight line as shown in Fig. 1, the foot rest 9 will support a very substantial weight. When the occupant of the chair rises the chair back will follow him to the, upright position under the action of the spring 11. This movement by action of the linkage described retires the foot rest to a position directly under the chair body and practically out of sight and withdraws the levers and links from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, where they are neatly housed in compact form directly inside of the front chair leg.

It is apparent of course that for each difierent position of the chair back the foot rest will likewise assume a different position always relative to said back, for example, when said chair back is swung approximately half way back to the extreme reclining position, said foot rest will assume a position ap roximately half way between its folded an its fully extended position.

IVhat I claim is:

1. In a chair, a foot-rest therefor comprising a foot-rest element, a bell-crank lever carrying the same, two links connecting said bellcrank lever at different points to the chair at different points, an operating device, a means of connection between said operating device and the lowermost link.

2. In a chair, a foot-rest therefor including a. loell-crank'lever a foot-rest. element an operating device cooperating- With the carried by oneencliof said bell-crank lever, above mentioned partst0:sWi11gasaid be11- 10 a link pivotally connecting the oppositeende, crankulever on its pivotal connection With of said bell-crank lever With the lower part the uppermost of. the two links.

of the chair, another link pivotally connect- I WILLIAM SIMPSON.

ing the bell-crank lever between itsends. I itnessesa- With another part of the chair above the i R. C. POWELL, connection for the first mentionedlink; and HARRY W. CONRAD.

Copies of this patent mayv be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D, C. 

